Rig Veda 8.71.1: Mandala 8, Sukta 71, Mantra 1
Sukta 8.71
- Devata
- Agni
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Shanta (peace)
त्वं नो अग्ने महोभिः पाहि विश्वस्या अरातेः । उत द्विषो मर्त्यस्य ॥
tváṃ no agne mahóbhíḥ pāhí víśvasyā arā́teḥ | utá dvíṣo mártyasya ||
أنتَ، يا أغني، احمِنا بقواك العظيمة من كلِّ عَوَزٍ وحاجةٍ معادية؛ وكذلك من بُغضِ الإنسانِ الفاني.
Word by Word
- त्वम्
- youPronounपुंलिङ्ग/सर्वलिङ्ग-प्रयोग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचनRole कर्तृRoot युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- नः
- to us / for usPronounषष्ठी/चतुर्थी-रूप (एन्क्लिटिक); बहुवचनRole सम्प्रदानRoot अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- अग्ने
- O AgniNounपुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन; एकवचनRole सम्बोधनRoot अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
- महोभिः
- with (your) great powersAdjective (used substantively: ‘great powers’)नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; बहुवचनRole करणRoot महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
- पाहि
- protectVerbलोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot पा (धातु, ‘to protect’)
- विश्वस्याः
- of all / of the wholeAdjectiveस्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
- अरातेः
- from hostility / harmNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचनRole अपादान (रक्षणे ‘from’)Root अराति (प्रातिपदिक)
- उत
- and alsoIndeclinableअव्ययRole समुच्चय/वाक्यसम्बन्धRoot उत (निपात)
- द्विषः
- of the hater / of the hostile (one)Nounपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root द्विष् (प्रातिपदिक; ‘hater/hostile one’)
- मर्त्यस्य
- of the mortalNoun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: त्वम् | नः | अग्ने | महोभिः | पाहि | विश्वस्याः | अरातेः | उत | द्विषः | मर्त्यस्य । 1) ‘त्वं नो अग्ने’ इति संहितायां ‘नो’ एन्क्लिटिक-रूपं (अस्मद्-षष्ठी/चतुर्थी) ‘अग्ने’ इत्यनन्तरं प्रयुक्तम्। 2) ‘विश्वस्याः अरातेः’—द्वयोः षष्ठ्यन्तयोः सम्बन्धः: ‘सर्वस्य (जनस्य) अरातिः’ इत्यर्थे
- रक्षणक्रियायां ‘अरातेः’ अपादानार्थं (‘from hostility’) ग्रह्यते। 3) ‘उत द्विषो मर्त्यस्य’—षष्ठी-षष्ठी-समासार्थः: ‘मर्त्यस्य द्विषः’ = ‘the mortal’s hater/hostility of the mortal (enemy)’
The meaning
Outer meaning
A prayer to Agni to protect the worshippers by his great powers from all forms of want/privation and from the hostility and hatred that arise among mortals.
Inner meaning
Agni as the awakened divine Will in the seeker is invoked to guard the inner sacrifice against (1) arāti—states of inner poverty: loss of faith, depletion of energy, lack of right discernment—and (2) dviṣaḥ martyasya—the hostile human nature: jealousy, resentment, egoic opposition. The ‘vast powers’ (mahobhiḥ) are the multiple intensities of the flame of aspiration and the force of purification that keep the consciousness turned toward truth.
Universal truth
Spiritual progress requires a protecting flame of conscious will that prevents both inner depletion and the contagion of human hostility; what is safeguarded is not comfort but continuity of aspiration and clarity.
Themes
protection, Agni invocation, warding hostility, maintenance of inner flame
The seer
- Other hymns
- Rig Veda 8.71.2, Rig Veda 8.71.3, Rig Veda 8.71.4, Rig Veda 8.71.5
Significance
The seer-voice here is that of a collective aspirant: the ‘we’ of the inner yajña asking the guiding Flame to shield the work from both deficiency and human antagonism—an archetypal stance in the Aurobindonian reading of Agni hymns.
The deity
- Devata
- Agni
- Epithets
- Agne, Protector (pāhi), Mighty one (mahān/mahas)
- Related deities
- Indra, Soma, Viśve Devāḥ, Uṣas
Cosmic role
Mediator between human and divine; bearer of offerings; establisher of ṛta in the sacrifice.
Inner power
Psychic fire and divine will that purifies, defends the aspiration, and sustains forward movement against inertia and hostility.
In ritual
Where it is used
Agnihotra/Āhavanīya fire invocations; protective prayer within soma/non-soma contexts
त्वं नो॑ अग्ने॒ महो॑भिः पा॒हि विश्व॑स्या॒ अरा॑तेः । उ॒त द्वि॒षो मर्त्य॑स्य ॥
त्वम् । नः॒ । अ॒ग्ने॒ । महः॑ऽभिः । पा॒हि । विश्व॑स्याः । अरा॑तेः । उ॒त । द्वि॒षः । मर्त्य॑स्य ॥
tvam | naḥ | agne | mahaḥ-bhiḥ | pāhi | viśvasyāḥ | arāteḥ | uta | dviṣaḥ | martyasya
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4 pādas of ~11 syllables (approx.)
Firm, directive, protective cadence; forward-driving prayer tone.
Creates a felt ‘shield’ of intention—steadying the mind, strengthening resolve, and discouraging reactive emotions.
- अग्ने (agne)
- Literal: O Fire. Symbolic: Divine Will and the priest of the inner offering; the power that purifies and leads
- महोभिः (mahobhiḥ)
- Literal: by great powers. Symbolic: Multiple intensities of spiritual force: tapas, courage, clarity, purifying heat
- पा॒हि (pāhi)
- Literal: protect. Symbolic: Maintain the right orientation of consciousness; ward off regression
- अरा॑तिः (arāti)
- Literal: lack, stinginess, misfortune, non-giving. Symbolic: Inner poverty: depletion of energy/faith; obstruction to the flow of grace and plenitude
- द्विषः (dviṣaḥ)
- Literal: hatred, hostility. Symbolic: Egoic opposition, jealousy, reactive nature that attacks the inner work
- मर्त्यस्य (martyasya)
- Literal: of the mortal. Symbolic: The limited human consciousness bound to desire and fear
Opening protective prayer to Agni; broadly applicable in household and Śrauta contexts where Agni is invoked as guardian of the rite and the sacrificer.
At kindling/invocation of Agni; also as an apotropaic (protective) utterance before offerings
Calling Agni to guard the sacrificer and the rite from obstacles and hostility
Use as a daily protection mantra before meditation or important work; set intention to remain inwardly full (not depleted) and non-reactive to hostility.
√pā ‘protect’ is a fundamental protective root. arāti denotes deprivation/ill-will (a force of ‘non-giving’). Agni as inner fire is the guardian power that maintains the right functioning of the being against diminution and hostile vibrations.
protection of the sacrifice/being, arāti as deprivation (anti-ṛta tendency), Agni as inner will guarding the path
Agni protects the movement of ṛta in the human being by preventing derailment through lack or hostility.
Truth is preserved by protection from distortions born of egoic hatred and inner scarcity.
Sustaining the ‘creation’ of a higher consciousness through continuous offering and guarded aspiration.
Proto-Vedāntic/Integral Yoga resonance (Agni as psychic being and will).
Fire = concentrated aspiration and purifying will; ‘hostile want’ = drought of consciousness; ‘hatred’ = storm-winds of the lower nature.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- Agni as guardian: the fire-power protects the sacrificer from deprivation (arāti) and from hostile hatred (dviṣ). Mythically, Agni is the watchful presence at the threshold; psychologically, the awakened will and discernment that prevents diminishment of consciousness.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- Agni (Lat. ignis) reflects PIE *h₁n̥gʷnis ‘fire’. √pā ‘protect’ aligns with IE protective semantics (cf. Latin pāstor ‘protector/shepherd’ via related formations). The opposition of ‘all harm’ and ‘mortal hatred’ is a common IE poetic duality: cosmic vs. human adversarial forces.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The ṛṣi seeks shelter in Agni’s ‘mahāḥ’—vast operative powers—indicating reliance on an inner divine agency rather than external defense. The exchange is immediate: invocation grants protection, and protection sustains the capacity to continue the sacrificial/inner work.
Invoke inner fire to protect the practice from depletion and reactive hostility; cultivate steady aspiration.
Manipura (fire/will) with support from Anahata (non-hatred)
Even inhalation/exhalation with a brief, gentle kumbhaka after inhale while mentally repeating ‘agne pāhi’
Collected, vigilant calm; ‘protected ardor’.
Before meditation, recite 3/9/27 times; feel a vertical flame in the spine; offer resentment and fear of lack into the fire; end with a quiet resolve to act from fullness.
Notated svaras not provided; chant in a steady ṛgvedic recitation style with gentle rise on likely udātta syllables (e.g., agne, pāhi) and soft falls on anudātta.
Keep ‘tvaṃ no agne’ clear and forward; do not swallow visarga in dviṣaḥ; maintain vowel length in pāhi, viśvasyāḥ, arāteḥ.
tvaṃ: nasalized ‘ṃ’ (anusvāra) before pause, agne: hard ‘g’ + dental ‘n’, mahobhiḥ: aspirate ‘bh’; final ḥ audible but light, viśvasyāḥ: palatal ‘ś’; long āḥ at end, arāteḥ: long ā; retroflex ṭ in teḥ is dental ‘t’ here (arāteḥ), dviṣaḥ: ‘dv’ cluster; retroflex ‘ṣ’, martyasya: clear ‘ty’ cluster
Steady, protective, warm; slightly emphatic on pāhi.
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